If You Need to Shift Gears at Work, Go Wash Your Hands First

Sometimes at work you’ve gotta stop one thing and move on to something else. And it’s not always easy to shift gears like that. So here’s a trick the next time you need to do it . . .

Before you start in on the second project . . . go wash your hands.

Researchers at the University of Toronto just published a study this week that found the physical act of washing your hands forces your brain to shift gears.

The people in the study used hand wipes. But apparently washing your hands works too, or you could try it with hand sanitizer.

They had people work on a project, like a word game. Then they had to stop and do something else. And when they washed their hands in between, they had an easier time moving on to the next project.

Apparently it works better than something like eating a snack or taking a break to go on Facebook, because the act of CLEANING your hands sends a signal to your brain that it’s time to start fresh with a clean slate.